Analysts expect Nanometrics Incorporated (NASDAQ:NANO) to post sales of $72.10 million for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Three analysts have issued estimates for Nanometrics’ earnings. The lowest sales estimate is $71.00 million and the highest is $73.00 million. Nanometrics reported sales of $59.31 million during the same quarter last year, which would suggest a positive year over year growth rate of 21.6%. The business is scheduled to issue its next earnings report on Tuesday, May 1st.

According to Zacks, analysts expect that Nanometrics will report full year sales of $72.10 million for the current year, with estimates ranging from $287.00 million to $291.20 million. For the next year, analysts anticipate that the business will report sales of $313.25 million per share, with estimates ranging from $311.50 million to $315.00 million. Zacks Investment Research’s sales averages are a mean average based on a survey of research firms that follow Nanometrics.

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Nanometrics (NASDAQ:NANO) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 6th. The semiconductor company reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.06. Nanometrics had a return on equity of 12.05% and a net margin of 11.68%. The firm had revenue of $78.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $76.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.33 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 32.1% on a year-over-year basis.

Several brokerages recently commented on NANO. Zacks Investment Research cut Nanometrics from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 17th. BidaskClub raised Nanometrics from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $33.00 price objective (down previously from $34.00) on shares of Nanometrics in a research note on Wednesday.

In other Nanometrics news, CEO Timothy J. Stultz sold 14,166 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.93, for a total transaction of $367,324.38. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 294,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,644,604.81. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have sold 14,781 shares of company stock worth $382,656 in the last three months. 6.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Macquarie Group Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Nanometrics by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 47,108 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $1,191,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Nanometrics by 3.2% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 18,968 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $480,000 after purchasing an additional 585 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN lifted its stake in shares of Nanometrics by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 17,373 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $439,000 after purchasing an additional 593 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial For Lutherans lifted its stake in shares of Nanometrics by 8.2% in the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial For Lutherans now owns 15,350 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $388,000 after purchasing an additional 1,160 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Nanometrics by 1.1% in the 2nd quarter. Schwab Charles Investment Management Inc. now owns 113,351 shares of the semiconductor company’s stock valued at $2,867,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the last quarter. 83.05% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of Nanometrics (NANO) opened at $25.50 on Friday. Nanometrics has a 12-month low of $22.08 and a 12-month high of $32.42. The company has a market capitalization of $652.67, a P/E ratio of 20.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 1.66.

Nanometrics declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, November 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the semiconductor company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

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Nanometrics Company Profile

Nanometrics Incorporated is a provider of process control metrology and inspection systems used primarily in the fabrication of semiconductors and other solid-state devices, including sensors, optoelectronic devices, high-brightness (HB) light emitting diodes (LEDs), discretes and data storages components.